How can you guard against online misinformation? UConn professor offers tips

After a gunman attempted to assassinate former President Donald Trump Saturday, people were scrambling to get information as quickly as possible.  

That can be easier to do in 2024 thanks to social media. But those platforms can also be overloaded with misinformation.  

“Bad actors, you know, who want to infect our political discourse or to spin it a certain way or to attack their opponent, they’re certainly going to latch on to that moment or that uncertainty,” University of Connecticut journalism professor Amanda Crawford said.  

Crawford, who researches misinformation, noted the Saturday shooting was the first serious assassination attempt of a current or former president in the era of social media. The last one was when President Ronald Regan was shot in 1981.  

“This is a fraught moment,” she said. “It's confusing, it's scary, we’re polarized.”  

Crawford also said a hyper-polarized society can be more prone to misinformation, as people look for news that supports or confirms their political views.  

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She noted people across the political spectrum can be susceptible to believing and spreading misinformation.  

There are things people can keep in mind to protect themselves, though. For starters, Crawford said people need to accept that investigations take a long time and information can move slowly.  

Journalism ethic codes call for reporters to verify information before reporting it, even when covering major breaking events.  

Crawford said people should be skeptical if someone comes to major conclusions shortly after an incident like an assassination. This is especially true when police are still early into their investigation.  

“Anybody who’s giving you solid conclusions one way or the other about what happened or the motivations for it -- that’s going to be misleading at this point because there’s a long investigation ahead,” she said.  

Crawford also said it’s best to find reliable news sources during calm periods, not immediately after major breaking news.  

If you need to vet a new news source, though, Crawford suggests checking an outlet’s “About Us” page.  

She said people should be skeptical if a news outlet is not open and transparent about itself and its staff.  

“Can you tell who’s putting out this site?” Crawford asked. “Can you tell who’s writing for it?”